{"id":476376,"date":"2026-02-13T02:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T02:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/476376\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T02:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T02:26:10","slug":"max-verstappen-fails-to-rule-out-quitting-f1-over-2026-anti-racing-regulations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/476376\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen fails to rule out quitting F1 over 2026 \u2018anti-racing\u2019 regulations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Max Verstappen has labelled F1\u2019s new regulations as \u201canti-racing\u201d and didn\u2019t rule out walking away if he finds it too unenjoyable.<\/p>\n

Verstappen has hit out at F1\u2019s new driving dynamics as the drivers get to grips with the all-new technical regulations that see energy harvesting and management become a key topic.<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen: F1 now feels like \u2018on steroids\u2019 Formula E<\/p>\n

The power unit rules for F1 2026 sees the sport move to a 50\/50 split of power generation between the internal combustion engine and the electrical hybrid system.<\/p>\n

However, with the removal of the MGU-H, harvesting the electrical energy to deploy is much more difficult, requiring the drivers to carry out significantly different driving techniques in order to generate the energy required.<\/p>\n

Such measures include downshifting down long straights, greater levels of lift-and-coast, and caution with the throttle pedal to ensure deployment only occurs at the best-prescribed moments.<\/p>\n

While the overall laptimes may not be signficantly different from the last generation of cars, the dynamics required do see the drivers having to keep in mind their energy constraints at all times.<\/p>\n

For four-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen, he said the move is antithetical from what Formula 1 should be.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo drive, not a lot of fun to be honest,\u201d he told media, including PlanetF1.com, after the second day of testing in Bahrain.<\/p>\n

Appearing relaxed and confident, Verstappen spoke with his usual straightforward directness as he acknowledged the effort that has been made by Red Bull to give him a competitive car and engine, but hit out at the F1 2026 regulations in what was an eye-opening press conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say the right word is management, but, at the other end, I also know how much work has been going on in the background, also, from the engine side for the guys,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s not always the nicest thing to say, but I also want to be realistic as for as a driver, the feeling is not very F1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that. That\u2019s also not my problem, because I\u2019m all for that and equal chances.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind that, but, as a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out, and, at the moment, you cannot drive like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Red Bull<\/a> rolling out its first F1 power unit as its Red Bull Powertrains unit has hit the track for the first time, Verstappen and his team have looked quietly composed en route to impressive lap counts and performances in the early stages of pre-season testing.<\/p>\n

But, even if his car proves competitive, Verstappen said this counts for little in terms of his enjoyment of the sport as he was asked about comments he\u2019s made in the past about continuing to race in Formula 1 as long as he enjoys it.<\/p>\n

\u201cA winning car, for me, that doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d he said, when asked if his opinion would change depending on the level of competitiveness of the RB22.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs to be fun to drive as well, I think, at this stage of my career. I mean, I am, of course, also exploring other things outside of Formula 1 to have fun at.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that we\u2019re stuck with this regulation for quite a while. So, yeah, let\u2019s see.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the performance of the cars, at their full potential and utilising all their available energy, being similar to that of the previous generation, Verstappen was asked whether he believes finding a way to run without that power limitation would fix the issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re energy poor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, for me, I don\u2019t care if I\u2019m going 350 kph or 300 \u2013 I don\u2019t think we should say \u2018Ah, because we\u2019re going 350 now that\u2019s perfect\u2019, I just want normal driving, just how it should be.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout having to, \u2018Oh, if I brake a bit longer or less or more or one gear up or down\u2019, you know, stuff like that, that so heavily impacts the performance on the straights, stuff like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, the grip, at the moment, is quite low with these tyres and the car configuration. I would say it\u2019s a big step back to how it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max Verstappen: New F1 rules feel \u2018anti-racing\u2019<\/p>\n

With the chassis regulations for 2026 being written in response to the already prescribed power unit regulations, which were devised partly to convince OEMs such as Honda and Audi, manufacturers with electrification in their road car strategies, Verstappen said he believes that, without that consideration, the power unit rules would have looked very different.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe livery looks great, the car looks great. Obviously, the proportion of the car looks good. I think that\u2019s not the problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just everything else that is a bit, for me, anti racing.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably people will not be happy with me saying this right now, but I am outspoken, and why am I not allowed to say what I think of my race car?<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t help that. I mean, I didn\u2019t write the regulation. If it was up to non-political aspects of making a regulation, the car would have probably very different origins. But yeah, that\u2019s how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Verstappen known for his love of racing anything with four wheels, he has explored endurance racing options and is widely tipped to take part in the Nurburgring 24 Hours should circumstances align later this year.<\/p>\n

With the Dutch driver not definitively shutting down the possibility his future could change depending on his enjoyment of the regulations, he said the fact there\u2019s \u201ca lot going on\u201d behind the wheel means the sport has moved closer to what the remit of the FIA\u2019s all-electric Formula E championship is.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of what you do as a driver, in terms of inputs, have a massive effect on the energy side of things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, yeah, that\u2019s just not Formula 1, because then it maybe better to drive Formula E, right?<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that\u2019s all about energy efficiency and management, and that\u2019s what they stand for. So, driving-wise, not so fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the same time, I also know what is at stake with the team, our own engine, and seeing the excitement of the people. They know when I sit in the car, I will always give it my very best. But excitement levels not so high to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read Next:\u00a0Aston Martin \u2018needs to find four seconds\u2019 as Lance Stroll lifts lid on AMR26 struggles<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen has labelled F1\u2019s new regulations as \u201canti-racing\u201d and didn\u2019t rule out walking away if he finds…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476377,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,818,825,44,918,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-476376","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-f1","11":"tag-formula-1","12":"tag-formula1","13":"tag-home-page","14":"tag-max-verstappen","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-red-bull","17":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}